Looking at photos like these scares and fascinates me in equal doses.
The sheer scale of these holes reminds us of how tiny we are!
Mirny Diamond Mine, Siberia
Pretty sure, most people have seen this one. It's an absolute beast
and holds the title of being the largest open diamond mine in the world.
At 525 metres deep and with a top diameter of 1200 metres, there's even a
'no-fly zone' above the hole due to a few helicopters being sucked in!
The read arrow in the photo below is pointing to a huge truck!
Kimberley Big Hole, South Africa
Apparently the largest ever hand-dug excavation in the world,
this 1097 metre-deep mine yielded over 3 tonnes of diamonds
before being closed in 1914.
Glory Hole - Monticello Dam
A glory hole is used when a dam is at full capacity
and water needs to be drained from the reservoir.
This is the glory hole belonging to Monticello Dam in California
and it is the largest in the world, its size enabling it to consume
14,400 cubic feet of water every second.
The hole can be seen at the top left of the photo above. If for some reason,
you were to jump in, your slightly damp body would shoot out near the
bottom of the dam (below).
Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah
This is supposedly the largest man-made excavation on earth.
Extraction began in 1863 and still continues today, the pit
increasing in size constantly. In its current state the hole is
3/4 mile deep and 2.5 miles wide.
Great Blue Hole, Belize
Situated 60 miles off the mainland of Belize is this incredible
‘geographical phenomenon’ known as a Blue Hole. There are
numerous blue holes around the world but none as stunning as this one.
At surface level, the near perfectly circular hole is 1/4 mile wide,
the depth in the middle reaching 145 metres. Obviously the hole
is a huge hit with divers. Read more here.
Diavik Mine, Canada
This incredible mine can be found 300km northeast of YellowKnife in Canada.
The mine is so huge and the area so remote that it even has
its own airport with a runway large enough to accommodate
a Boeing 737. It also looks equally as cool when the surrounding water
is frozen.
Sinkhole, Guatemala
A sinkhole is caused when water (usually rainwater or sewage)
is soaked up by the earth on a large scale, resulting in the ground collapsing.
These photos are of a sinkhole which occurred early this year in Guatemala.
The hole swallowed a dozen homes and killed at least 3 people.
Officials blamed the monster of a hole on a ruptured sewage pipe.
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